Ms. Mettam questions the urgency of the government's phased approach to addressing coercive control, while the Minister defends the approach as expert-backed and criticizes Ms. Mettam's alternative view.

AnsweredQoN 860Legislative Assembly
Asked
26 November 2024
Portfolio
Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence

QuestionView source ↗

COERCIVE CONTROL — AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
860. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Prevention of Family
and Domestic Violence:
I have a supplementary question.
How does this phased approach address the real urgency in keeping women and
children safe?
Mr R.R. Whitby interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.

AnswerView source ↗

I
appreciate that the member has an alternative view of the world; I do
appreciate that. However, the member's view is not shared by the
evidence or the experts. The member has an alternative view—I
appreciate that—and she is entitled to it, but I need to put on the
record that her view is not shared by the experts or the sector. That is her
prerogative. I am confident in our government's approach and that it is
backed by the experts. We are doing this right by first launching a landmark $5
million education campaign, which is currently running and having great
success, and is educating the community. That is what the experts like the
Commissioner for Victims of Crime have told us to do. That is what we are doing
as part of a phased approach to criminalising coercive control. We are going to
keep listening to the experts because that is what good governments do. Our
policies are based on experts leading and guiding our approach to family and
domestic violence and, by inclusion, coercive control. I again reiterate that
if the member would like me to facilitate her actually talking to some
experts so that her policies are similarly guided by experts, I am happy to do
that.

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